The Way We Change
by Thatssofetsch
Summary: Ichigo and Masaya have done the unthinkable and broken up. Abandoning her friends and family, Ichigo goes into seclusion. Will she ever truly be able to love again? Rated T for language. Kishigo fans unite!


Chapter 1

Hello my lovely readers!

Please review after, and enjoy!

~Tyki

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tokyo mew mew and am not associated with it in any way. Please don't send me to jail, I don't do well there!

On to the story!

The rain trickled softly around her, as 21 year old Ichigo slowly made her way to her one bedroom apartment from class. Whenever the weather was like this, Ichigo found that it was nearly impossible for her to be in a good mood. One would assume the water-hating feline DNA she housed within her would be the prime reasoning for this, however she knew there were other drives for her discontent on this day. It was in fact, exactly 3 years ago when the weather was much like today her heart had been broken into what seemed an infinite amount of pieces. The day Aoyama had left her.

Gripping her books tighter to her chest, Ichigo shook her head in attempt to rid the negative thoughts housed inside her mind. She had long ago promised to get rid of the weak willed, co-dependent version of herself and change into the strong self-reliant individual she was to this day. She had grown stronger, both mentally and physically; however there were still occasional days like today, where she doubted her past decisions.

It hadn't really come to her as much of a shock in the beginning. She knew that Aoyama and she had been drifting further apart due to many reasons, aging being the most prominent one. She had found that the older they became the less common interests they seemed to share.

The honeymoon stage of their relationship had slowly withered away, replaced with cold solid truth. Not only did they have few common interests, but also different dreams and future goals. Aoyama desired to travel to other countries, while Ichigo wished to remain in Japan for school, and eventually work in an animal husbandry unit, hoping to one day save the very animals she and her fellow Mew Mews shared DNA with.

Shortly after the realization that their relationship could never be anything more than a hindrance to each other's dreams, Aoyama and Ichigo had mutually broken their bond, parting ways. As the weeks turned into months, Ichigo found that she became more and more depressed. Though their breakup had been mutual, residual feelings she had had for Aoyama stubbornly refused to leave. She withdrew from the comfort offered to her by her fellow Mew Mews and the outside world, choosing instead to become completely absorbed in her studies. She figured if she kept her mind busy was the best way to avoid a complete breakdown.

Trudging slowly up the wet and squeaky steps to her apartment, Ichigo stripped off her raincoat, and untied her long crimson hair, squeezing out the rainwater. Though she had loved the manageability of her short hair, Ichigo felt she had outgrown her childish pigtails, and had allowed it to grow out. 

_I better not get sick because of this stupid rain, _she thought gloomily to herself, absentmindedly searching for her room key. Once found, she opened the door to her apartment.

Although small and slightly barren, her apartment was close to school and work, not to mention decently priced. But most of all Ichigo loved this apartment for what it stood for, a solid manifestation of independence and self-reliance.

Hanging up her raincoat and umbrella, Ichigo kicked off her waterlogged rain boots and flicked on the light. Yawning loudly, she unceremoniously dumped her textbooks and backpack on the kitchen counter and plodded toward the couch in the living room. Grabbing the TV remote, Ichigo sank comfortably into the couch and turned on the television. She needed to know how much longer the weather was going to be terrible, and if it was necessary to invest in more rain gear.

"Good evening folks," the weatherman began, with a toothy grin.

"Tomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy skies with a 50% chance of rain, so if you were planning a picnic in the park or a trip to the beach, you may want to reconsider and keep activities indoors."

"Not exactly problematic…especially when you've pushed away everyone close to you like I have…" Ichigo mumbled.

Seriously though, it was a freaking Tuesday, which meant the most entertaining thing Ichigo could possibly do involved working and going to class. Neither of which were that exciting. Though she knew her misplaced irritation on the innocent weatherman was less than pathetic, she couldn't help it. Even given perfect weather conditions, Ichigo knew she had no real friends or family to go to the beach or plan a picnic with.

Her relationships with her friends and family had significantly declined after her break up with Aoyama. She no longer considered herself a Mew Mew, and had hidden her power pendant deep inside her desk drawer. The memories it conjured up within whenever she saw it were painful. As the weatherman droned on, an emergency newsflash suddenly broadcasted on her television.

"An unidentified flying object was reported to be circling over Tokyo this afternoon," The reporter stated.

"It is believed to be a scouting aircraft from another country; however it is still unclear as to where it came from, residents are encouraged to report if they see anything strange."

"Lady, if I had reported HALF the strange things I have seen in my life, Tokyo would be in utter chaos," Ichigo mumbled.

She could imagine it now, exposing all of her past secrets to the world. The aliens she had fought against, the chimera animals. She wondered if anyone would believe her, or if they would just lock her up convinced that she was mentally ill. Not that she would blame them. Sometimes she questioned her own sanity.

Sighing quietly, Ichigo stretched fully into the couch, snuggling further into the soft fabric. She had just about dozed off until she heard familiar scratching and a pitiful mewling outside her balcony door. Sitting up reluctantly, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and focused on the tiny face pressed up against the glass. Smiling warmly, Ichigo made her way to the door and opened it slowly, revealing a tiny black and white cat.

"Masha, where have you been," Ichigo crooned. The tiny cat mewled happily and jumped into Ichigo's awaiting arms.

"I was worried about you little one. I bet you wish you had come back home last night when I called for you," she murmured into the damp warm fur, the tiny cat purring audibly.

A few years ago while walking home from work, Ichigo had wandered into an alley where she found the tiny kitten, no older than 4 weeks, starved and nearly half dead from hunger and parasites. Knowing there was no way in good conscience she could leave the poor thing in that condition, Ichigo had brought the little kitten home and nursed her back to health.

While Masha healed, the tiny kitten refused to let Ichigo out of her sight, reminding Ichigo very much of the small pink fuzz ball that used to trail her fellow Mew Mews nonstop, therefore she gifted her the same name. Though animals were strictly forbidden by her landlord, Ichigo had hid little Masha till she was fully grown and recovered, eventually allowing her to go outside to travel freely whenever she wanted. Masha always came back though, especially around feeding time.

"I'd bet my tail that you're here for the goods," Ichigo said warmly, as she gently lowered the cat to the ground.

Humming, Ichigo opened the refrigerator and took out a half-eaten can of fancy feast, which she placed atop a bowl of dry food. Masha weaved impatiently around Ichigo's legs, as her food was placed on the ground. Watching Masha eat, Ichigo was suddenly aware of her own hunger, and began preparing her usual meal of instant ramen and tea.

Despite her history working at the Mew Mew cafe, Ichigo found that it she was much better suited to eating food than she was preparing it. She could barely manage to make little more than a bowl of cereal and ramen, and had been surviving off of that and takeout since she moved into her apartment and away from her mother's home cooking.

Watching Masha eagerly wolf down her food, Ichigo was hit with a pang of jealousy. She _wished_ she enjoyed her food as much as Masha enjoyed hers. Gingerly poking at the half cooked noodles and vegetables, she decided to let it sit a bit more, and sauntered outside to the patio with her mug of tea for some fresh air.

The rain had ceased, and only a slight drizzle remained. Looking up at the night sky, Ichigo watched the clouds part, revealing a full moon complete with an impressive array of stars. While counting the seemingly endless display of bright little dots, her thoughts centered on her alien friends and on one in particular.

_I wonder what Kish is doing right now,_ she pondered as her mind flashed back to their last encounter.

It was right after the fight with Deep Blue, and Ichigo had woken up after transferring all of her power to save Aoyama. She vividly recalled Kish's final words to her

"_Be happy. That is all I ask. In the end, your happiness is all I wish for." _

Touching her cheek softly, Ichigo could faintly remember the feeling of his lips lightly brushing over it in a final goodbye kiss. Sipping her tea thoughtfully, Ichigo wondered what Kisshu was up to at this exact moment. Perhaps he was looking up at the sky on his home planet, thinking similar thoughts.

Draining her cup, Ichigo scanned the sky one last time, then turned and ambled back into her apartment, completely oblivious to a pair of yellow eyes gazing back at her.

Ichigo found Masha curled up on the couch, purring contently. Discovering that her ramen had gone cold from neglect, Ichigo placed it in the refrigerator for another time, her appetite now gone.

Remembering that she had work before class tomorrow, Ichigo decided it would be best to go to bed a bit earlier than normal. She opened her dresser and fished around for a nightgown. Once finding her favorite one, light pink with pictures of tiny strawberries on it, she threw it on and climbed into her awaiting bed. Masha soon joined her, and they both soon fell asleep, purring.

The balcony door creaked ever so slightly, as the shadowy intruder entered Ichigo's apartment. Though encased in darkness, the trespasser's eyes glowed brightly in the dark room, as he floated towards the bedroom.

Hovering in the doorframe, the figure could barely make out the shape of his most precious person, her chest rising and falling evenly with her breathing. Landing softly on the carpet, the being slowly walked to the side of the bed, eyes glued to the sleeping girl. A ghostly pale hand reached out and gently brushed away Ichigo's bangs, fully revealing her face.

"Beautiful girl..." he breathed.

The covers were partially pulled down, somewhat exposing her body. Drinking in her revealed shape, Kish began to close the distance between him and Ichigo, freezing when he heard the warning growl of an extremely pissed off animal. Glancing up, he saw a small furry creature, fangs exposed, lunge toward his face and slice his cheek open. Cursing, Kish fled the room, Masha in hot pursuit.

Ichigo's eyes darted open, and she quickly sat up. She could still faintly hear Masha hissing, and she knew that whenever Masha hissed it was serious business.

Jumping out of bed, she cautiously made her way out of the bedroom, to find the balcony door wide open; a unsettling wind chilled her to the bone. Stepping outside cautiously, Ichigo found Masha looking into the distance, hair on end, fangs exposed, uttering a low guttural growl.

"Come here Masha," she said softly, picking up the distressed animal.

Ichigo peered out into the darkness, squinting hard to find the source of the cat's discontent. Finding nothing, she shrugged

"Guess it must've been a bird or something..."

Turning back towards the door, now closed from the wind, Ichigo glanced up to see a faint reflection in the glass of golden eyes staring at her.


End file.
